“Shade called and told me that he wants you and Crash to come to Ohio. When I told him that you were already on your way, he said I might want to be there, too.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, I figured we could find out together. We can talk when he gets there.” Viper went to his bike. He was starting it when Crash, Nickel, and Razer came out of the clubhouse to find their bikes.

Train backed his up to pull alongside of Viper’s. “I thought you said Shade only asked for me and Crash?”

“I’d rather have too much backup than not enough.”

The brothers were ready in seconds, Viper taking the lead down the winding road leading into town. Razer and Train rode at the back of the pack.

As they passed the sheriff’s office, Knox’s and Lucky’s bikes’ headlights hit them. They decelerated through the empty street until Knox was riding next to Crash, and Lucky sped ahead to ride with Viper.

Other than for gas, the brothers didn’t stop until they were the on the outskirts of Ohio, where Viper texted Shade, letting him know they would be there in thirty minutes.

“Shade sent the address to a hospital fifteen minutes away,” he informed everyone.

They made it to the rendezvous point ten minutes later, where Shade was sitting casually on his bike with his arms resting on the handlebars. Moon and Rider were waiting with him.

The brothers circled Shade’s bike so they could hear what he had to say.

“What’s up? Something happen to Sasha?” Viper motioned for the men to turn off their bikes.

Train felt Shade’s critical gaze on him before it settled on Viper. “No. Nothing has changed so far, but I expect the charges to be dropped.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“Killyama.”

Train wasn’t the only one who stared at Shade in astonishment. “What did Killyama have to do with getting Sasha’s charges dropped?”

Shade took a cell phone out of his jacket pocket, handing it to Viper. “It’s Kane’s burner phone. She stole it from him. She also found a way for me to get inside his father’s house. The police now know that Kane and his father lied about the jewelry. Arrogant dick left it in a drawer in his office. She also hooked me up with a professor who won’t let it get swept under the rug.”

“A professor?” Train asked, stunned.

Shade’s lips curled up in mirthless smile. “A Professor of Economics. He wants to take down the man keeping him from getting his dream job. Mayor. Not only did she fix Sasha’s problem; she fixed Moon’s, too.”

“Why would she help?” Train stared at the phone in Viper’s hand.

“You’ll have to ask her that question.”

Train moved to turn the key to start his motorcycle, determined to do just that. He was going to drive to Jamestown and shake her until she answered all of his questions.

“Save the gas. She’s not in Jamestown.” Shade read his mind. “Killyama is still in Ohio. She never left after dropping Sasha off at the police station.”

“How’d she steal Kane’s burner phone?” Train asked as he removed his hand from the key.

“Should have been nicknamed Crazy Bitch. She found out from Kane’s ex-girlfriend that he has a taste for hand jobs. Apparently, she convinced the owner of a masseuse parlor to let her watch. When he was occupied, she stole the phone.”

Train couldn’t sit still for another moment. Getting off his bike, he paced back and forth as he tried to blow off steam. “I’m going to wring her fucking neck.”

“Kane almost saved you the trouble.” Reaching into his pocket, Shade took out his own phone, holding it up. “She was an hour late to give me Kane’s phone. When she arrived, she was wearing a leather jacket zipped up to her throat. It was cold out, but she was also wearing a scarf to her jaw. When I asked why she was wearing it, she made a joke, telling me she was cold-natured.”

“What’s wrong with her wearing a scarf?” Viper asked.

Train was thinking the same thing. In the time he had known her, though, she had only worn a jacket when it was freezing outside. A scarf, never. That seemed too feminine for Killyama. He was beginning to get a sick feeling in his stomach.

“The whole time they were there,” Shade continued, “Jonas and Hammer didn’t take their eyes off her. After they left, I looked at the Kane’s cell phone. It had blood on it. So I followed their car.” Shade ran his finger over the screen on his cell phone, pulling up a picture.

Train expected Shade to hand the phone to Viper. Instead, he held it out to him.

He stopped pacing, heading over to Shade’s bike to take the phone, seeing it wasn’t a picture but a video. All the brothers except Rider and Moon got off their bikes to watch it.

The video showed the black Escalade braking at a hospital’s emergency entrance. Hammer jumped out of the back then reached inside, lifting Killyama out. Train barely managed to finish watching as Hammer carried her inside the hospital with Jonas. From her limp body, it was clear she was unconscious.

Giving Shade his phone back, Train climbed back on his bike. “I have to see her.”

“No. She made me promise not to tell you or any of the brothers that she helped. Think about it, brother. Why did she go through so much to help Sasha out? And why go through the trouble to keep us from finding out?”

The brothers stared at each other, all trying to figure out Killyama’s motives.

“I might know,” Knox spoke up in the extended silence. “Diamond has been on my case to talk Sasha into turning herself in when she found out a warrant had been taken out for her in Ohio. I told her there wasn’t anything to be worried about. Then, remember about a month ago, when I received a call from the DA? He wanted me to stake out the clubhouse to see if she was there. Diamond was also called, asking her to convince Sasha to turn herself in, and was asked if she knew where she was. We both lied, saying she was hiding out with family in Wyoming.”

Knox’s thoughtful expression and the account of the increased interest in Sasha’s whereabouts had all the brothers starting to connect the dots.

“Sex Piston,” Train stated, staring at the large hospital.

Killyama was behind one of those windows. She had deliberately put herself at risk to relieve Sex Piston’s fear that her sister would be held culpable for lying to the courts.

“You think Sex Piston told her to do it? Or did she do it on her own?” Train asked the question more to himself than the men.

“On her own,” Knox answered. “I think Diamond confided in her sister that she was worried about losing her license and me losing my job as sheriff. Then Sex Piston bitched about it to Killyama. I can see her throwing herself under the bus to protect them.”

“I can, too,” Viper agreed, looking at the cell phone with the blood she had shed to protect those she loved. “She did nearly get herself killed when she protected Lily and Winter. With Sex Piston, she would try to walk on water to protect that bitch.”

Train’s heart was so heavy he had to sit down on his motorcycle to get his strength back.

“That’s why she waited to call my debt in. She waited so Sex Piston couldn’t be blamed. She didn’t even tell Stud, so it wouldn’t cause a rift between him and Sex Piston.” Viper was taking her sacrifice as hard as Train was.